Citizens of the Week at Port O’Connor School
Week ending April 20: PreK- Trooper Sanchez; K- Leray Austin; 1st- Jakob Donaldson; 2nd- Kailey Guzman; 3rd- Landon Jones; 4th- Alex Lopez; 5th- Christopher Richter
Week ending April 27: PreK- Amara Brown; K-Timothy Reneau; 1st- Madden Guevara; 2nd- Waylon Thomas; 3rd- Adamariz Zuniga; 4th- Kamyla Guzman; 5th- Rylie Ragusin
Week ending May 4: PreK- Aliza Dean; K- Ana Brown; 1st- Eli Busby; 2nd- Pryncess Few; 3rd- Matilyn Gibson; 4th- Anthony Flores; 5th- Eben Smith
Week ending May 11: PreK- Helios Ochoa; K- Timothy Reneau; 1st- Haiden Dean; 2nd- Remington Eure; 3rd- Grace Brown; 4th- Cole Spicak; 5th- Stephen Bowman

Sat., May 18    Warrior’s Weekend in Port O’Connor
Tues., May 22    Run Off Election
Sat., May 26    Kids Fishing Tournament8:00-11:00 am    King Fisher Beach, Port O’Connor
Sat., May 26    Kite Flying Contest12:30 pm    King Fisher Beach, Port O’Connor
Sat., May 26    Car Wash/Bake Sale Seadrift Community Church
Mon., May 28    Memorial Day
Mon., June 4    Republican Club6:00 pm    Grace Episcopal Parish Hall, Port Lavaca
Tues., June 5    Seadrift City Council7:00 pm    Seadrift City Hall
Tues., June 5    Bunco7:00 pm    Port O’Connor Community Center
Thurs., June 7    Port O’Connor Service Club10:00 am    POC Community Center
Mon., June 11    Port O’Connor Chamber of Commerce6:30 pm    Port O’Connor Community Center
June 15 & 16    Seadrift Shrimpfest  Seadrift Bayfront
Sun., June 17    Father’s Day
June 18-22    Vacation Bible School First Baptist Church, Port O’Connor

I had the distinct pleasure of speaking with Debbie Lundin Boyd the CEO/Owner of RLB Contracting Inc. on Thursday after the horrible dredge fire accident this week. She was open, honest and very transparent in discussing the accident. Her company is the owner of the dredge boat the Jonathon King Boyd that was involved in the pipeline fire on April 17^th. This dredge was named after Mr. Fisher and the Boyd’s oldest son and was a special vessel. Even after sitting in the flames and extreme heat, the hull of the dredge is intact. Ms. Boyd says even if insurance declares a total loss they will rebuild the barge. Randy Boyd, her husband and business partner built this barge, and like his grandfather was a great builder. The safety investigators said the Boyd is ‘seaworthy and surprisingly well-built’ when they cleared the vessel for towing. Inspectors were surprised and pleased at the condition of the Boyd after the fire.   

The night of the fire there 190,000 gallons of diesel fuel were stored on board the Boyd. Two tank valves were open and in use and two were closed on the vessel when the pipeline caught fire after being hit by an anchoring system on the Boyd. The fuel contained in the opened tanks burned off well into Wednesday as seen in the many reports of the fire, while the two closed valves tanks remain complete and will have to be drained before rescue and repair of the vessel. Wednesday and Thursday, numerous safety examinations found no diesel fuel in the water and no leaking from the Boyd. Containment buoys and the integrity of the vessel worked to prevent a more serious disaster.  The gas from the damaged line may cause some need for cleanup and restoration as pollution investigations continue, but inspectors finally cleared the Jonathon King Boyd as safe to be towed late Wednesday night. It was towed to Port Lavaca for restoration. 

Ms. Boyd stated there were two pipelines in the designated dredge area left after an offshore well was capped in a 20-30 mile shut in or containment. TomCat East and West were both were damaged in Hurricane Harvey and the West one was removed. TomCat East remained but was not sufficiently marked and was hit in the dredge process. It was a closed line. The Jonathon King Boyd crew all evacuated without injury or incident. Ms. Boyd was proud to report that the crew will be paid in full no matter what happens in coming days. They will not miss one check or hour of work as some will work on restoration of the damaged Boyd and some will go to another active dredge site. This crew is family and the Boyd’s are grateful for everyone’s safety and plan to take care of them going forward.  

Ms. Boyd was full of praise for those involved in this accident and said the Port O’ Connor Coast Guard, Firefighters and citizens were wonderful to work with throughout. They were professional, helpful and nothing but kind. She also praised competitors and participants in the business who have been full of care and concern. Numerous calls to check on the crew came in and many have offered to lease or arrange cooperation to finish the job.  

Due to the fire, the crew will be demobilizing, removing gear and equipment from the beach and smoothing out the sand that is already deposited. Eventually, Ms. Boyd says they will return and finish the project when crew and equipment become available. The Corp of Engineers will likely continue the project at that time. Either way, our sandy beachfront is bigger and better, and I know we are all glad that there were no serious injuries or environmental complications from this incident.  

POC 6th ANNUAL CRAWFISH FEST & COOKOFF
SATURDAY, APRIL 28 at King Fisher Beach
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
7-10 am Vendor & Cooker Checkin & Setup
10 am Open to Public
11:30 am Crawfish served until sold out
12 pm Horseshoe Tournament Registration
12 pm Crawfish Eating Contest Registration at People’s Choice
12:30 pm Bloody Mary Contest Judging
1 pm Horseshoe Tournament
1-3 pm The Splendiferous
2 pm Boiled Crawfish Judging
3 pm Best Side Dish Judging
3:30 pm Crawfish Eating Contest
4 pm Final Call for Peoples Choice
4:30 pm Awards Announced
5-7 pm Jarrod Birmingham

Seadrift Mayor DeForest presents medal to Chief Bermea

Seadrift Police Chief Leonard Bermea has been named “Officer of the Year” by Seadrift City Council. Chief Bermea began his career with the Department in March of 2009 as a full-time patrolman. In 2012, he was promoted to the rank of Chief. In 2016, Chief Bermea was instrumental in bringing several burglary cases to a successful conclusion, including recovery of stolen items to local citizens.

“In 2017, Chief Bermea made above-average criminal and traffic arrests, conducted several extensive criminal investigations, and handled countless calls for service in a diligent and professional manner,” according to Police Lieutenant Louis Warren, who nominated the Chief for this honor.

Chief Bermea is well-known for his involvement in the community and his commitment to its safety and well-being.

His able department includes Officer Mike Henry, Deputy Louis Warren, and Deputy Robert Monero.
-Photo Courtesy of Ross Stapp, Port Lavaca Wave

Councilman Ranier Brigham and Mayor Elmer DeForest

and the Seadrift Police Department

Officer Mike Henry, Deputy Louis Warren, Police Chief Leonard Bermea, Deputy Robert Montero